Odorless animal litter unit

• US 4,848,274 A
• Filed: 02/03/1987
• Issued: 07/18/1989
• Est. Priority Date: 05/24/1978
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Church & Dwight Company Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Patrick Yananton
• Inventors: Yananton, Patrick
• Primary Examiner(s): NOT, DEFINED
• Assistant Examiner(s): Price, R. Thomas
• Application Number:
  US07/010,309
• Time in Patent Office: 896 Days
• Field of Search: 119/1
• US Class Current: 119/169
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 1/0107 Cat trays; Dog urinals; Toilets for pets

Abstract

The odorless animal litter box of the instant invention includes a box-like container capable of locking in place an absorbent pad structure, which includes a protective screening and a moisture impermeable liner. The protective screening is flexible and formed of strands bonded at their interstices, is substantially inert to urine and capable of withstanding the clawing action of an animal such as a cat. The sheet layer of moisture impermeable material has length and width dimensions at least equal to that of the screen. A sorbtive-desiccant pad is positioned between the screen and the moisture impermeable material and the screen is sealed to moisture impermeable material along at least a substantial portion of their peripheral edges.

Claims

1. A sorbent pad laminate means and litter, for the collection of animal urine, to be used in combination with a self-supporting cat litter container, said sorbent pad laminate means comprising;

A a bottom sheet layer of moisture impermeable material,

B an intermediate sorptive-desiccant layer of material having a high sorption capacity for urine and high surface area,

C a top claw resistance screen means, protecting said intermediate sorbent layer, whereby said litter granules overlie said top claw resistant screen means.

2. The sorbent pad laminate means of claim 1 wherein said claw resistant screen means is a urine permeable, flexible member of material which is substantially inert to urine, having a tensile strength of at least 20 pounds per square inch in both the warp and filling directions.

3. The sorbent pad laminate of claim 2 wherein said claw resistant screen means has sufficiently small hole size, said hole size ranging between 850 and 175 squares per square inch, to protect said sorbent layer and said sheet layer of moisture impermeable material from being torn by animal claws.

4. The combination of claim 1 wherein said litter granules are substantially non-urine absorbent.

5. The combination of claim 1 wherein said self-supporting container has a base and four walls.

6. The combination of claim 5 wherein said sorbent pad laminate means is in contact with said base and walls of said self-supporting container.

7. The combination of claim 1 wherein said self-supporting container is formed from a disposable material.

8. The combination of claim 7 wherein said disposable material is coated with an urine impermeable substance.

9. The combination of claim 7 wherein said disposable material is made from an urine impermeable substance.

10. An animal urine sorbent pad laminate means for use in preventing the odor caused by the action of bacteria on urine in a litter container, wherein the litter container is a self supporting structure having a base and walls, said laminate means comprising, in combination;

(A) bottom moisture impermeable means,

(B) intermediate sorbtive-desiccant member formed of material having a high sorption capacity for urine and a high wicking surface area, and

(C) top claw resistant screen means for protecting said sorbtive-desiccant member from the clawing action of a cat,

(D) litter granules, overlying said top claw resistant screen means.

11. The top claw resistant screen means of claim 10 wherein said screen means a urine permeable means formed of material which is substantially inert to urine and of sufficient tear strength and sufficiently small hole size to protect said sorbtive-desiccant member and said moisture impermeable member from the clawing action of a cat, positioned such that it is in urine transfer contact with said sorbent means.

12. The top claw resistant screen means of claim 10 wherein said screen means has sufficient cat urine transfer capability thereby allowing the urine to pass directly through the screen means thereby permitting the transferring of the cat urine directly from said litter granules, through the said screen means into the sorbtive-desiccant member by the sorptive action of the sorbtive-desiccant member and permitting the evaporation of the liquid of said urine from said high surface area sorbtive-desiccant member through said screen means, whereby the bacteria, which are capable of breaking down urea die or become dormant and significant odor formation is prevented.

13. The combination of claim 10 wherein said sorbent pad laminate means overlays said base of said self-supporting litter container.

14. The combination of claim 13 wherein said sorbent pad laminate means overlays said walls of said self-supporting litter container.

15. The combination of claim 10 wherein said litter granules are substantially non-urine absorbent.

16. The method of preventing the formation of the odor associated with cat litter boxes by preventing bacteria from breaking down urea in cat urine into ammonia, comprising the steps of

(a) providing cat urine transfer directly from overlying nonabsorbent litter particles, through a cat claw resistant screen means into a sorbtive-desiccant member by

(b) sorbing said urine in a sorbtive-desiccant member having high surface area, high urine sorbency, and dispersing the urine quickly in said sorbtive-desiccant member,

(c) preventing urine from leaving the side of sasid sorbtivedesiccant member opposite said screen means by having said side opposite said screen means in contact with a moisture impermeable means,

(d) evaporating the liquid of said urine from said high surface area sorbtivedesiccant member through said screen means and thereby causing the bacteria, which are capable of breaking down cat urine, to die or become dormant thereby preventing significant odor formation.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein said screen means and said moisture impermeable means are relatively immovable with respect to each other.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein said screen means is of sufficient tear strength and sufficiently small hole size to protect said sorbtive-desiccant member and said moisture impermeable member from the clawing action of a cat.

19. The method of claim 17 wherein said screen has sufficient hydrophilicity such that urine pass through said screen means and without bead formation on the surface of the said screen.